Convair F-106

[Steve Pace]

Here's a 318th FIS F-106A with its replacement F-15A over Mt. Rainier, circa 1980.

 

[ChuckAnderson]

Here's a 318th FIS F-106A with its replacement F-15A over Mt. Rainier, circa 1980.

My Dad was in the 318th FIS from 1968 to 1975.

 

[Steve Pace]

Cool! Doing what?

 

[ChuckAnderson]

Cool! Doing what?

His AFSC (Air Force Specialty Code) was 32291
Fire & Weapons Control Superintendent

Chuck

 

[Steve Pace]

Then he must have dealt with the Falcon and Genie missile armaments and the Hughes MA-1 Fire Control System.

 

[ChuckAnderson]

Then he must have dealt with the Falcon and Genie missile armaments and the MA-1 Fire Control System.

Yes he did. Before F-106s, he worked on F-102s, and before that, F-89s.


Chuck

 

[Steve Pace]

That's really neat. Do you have any photos re 318th?

 

[ChuckAnderson]

That's really neat. Do you have any photos re 318th?

He might.
I just have to get over there and dig into the old photo albums.

Chuck

 

[Steve Pace]

Maybe I could feature him in an F-106 article in Flight Journal magazine.

 

[Steve Pace]

BTW: I see where you live - I live in east Tacoma.

 

[Steve Pace]

Happy 53rd Birthday to the best ever all weather interceptor - the F-106 Delta Dart. It's first flight was 53 years ago today. It wasn't just any first flight either - it charged to 1.9 Mach and lofted to 57,000 feet. Richard L. "Dick" Johnson was its lead-footed pilot.

 

[yasotay]

F-106 was and remains my all time favorite jet aircraft. I grew up wanting to fly them with a passion. I still have my model I built... many years ago.

 

[Steve Pace]

I'd love to see a 1:32 scale model of it with the M61 Vulcan cannon.

 

[Archibald]

Build a F-106 and a F-15 in 318 th colors. Btw, where does the (great!) blue star come from ?

 

[Steve Pace]

I believe it represents the North Star.

 

[Boxman]

I'd love to see a 1:32 scale model of it with the M61 Vulcan cannon.

Speaking of the F-106's gun, this film ("F-106 Six Shooter") was just posted by the San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives on YouTube. It features some great footage of the M61/A1 installation and associated flight tests.

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sD7cOpBgJQ

 

[OM]

...Outstanding catch there, Sir! Downloaded and stashed to my hard drive archive ;D

 

[fightingirish]

Speaking of the F-106's gun, this film ("F-106 Six Shooter") was just posted by the San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives on YouTube. It features some great footage of the M61/A1 installation and associated flight tests.

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sD7cOpBgJQ

Some pictures showing the integration of the M61/A1 to the F-106 were posted resently at the SDASM Flickr Archive.
Here a few appetizers:

https://flic.kr/p/2oP1JKQ

View: https://flic.kr/p/2oP1JKQ

https://flic.kr/p/2oP1Jvr

View: https://flic.kr/p/2oP1Jvr

https://flic.kr/p/2oP6Kjt

View: https://flic.kr/p/2oP6Kjt

 

[yahya]

I have a technical question. Does anyone know the nomenclature of the 20-channel ILS used on the F-106A, which had a custom cockpit control unit with a large grey knob?

 

[NMaude]

Is this the definitive F-106 thread?

 

[NMaude]

Not A Pond For Air-To-Ground has recently put out this video about the Convair F-106A Delta Dart:

The F-106 Delta Dart pushed the boundaries of 1950s aviation technology to produce a groundbreaking combination of avionic sophistication and aircraft performance. This video goes deep into the ADC's ultimate interceptor with particular focus on its avionics and weapon system.

To avoid disappointment, this video doesn't cover the F-106B or proposed advanced versions of the aircraft. Standalone videos coming in 2025 so please subscribe .

Sources:

Strangely, the Delta Dart isn't tremendously well covered in recent literature. Most books are therefore rather outdated. Fortunately, the utterly exceptional F-106 Delta Dart Association website is both free to access and packed full of content: https://www.f-106deltadart.com/https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...https://www.f-106deltadart.com/&v=T-8gN_1cHVY

Book-wise:

"F-106 In Detail And Scale" by Bert Kinzey is the usual mix of slightly hard to read commentary with amazing detail photos

"F-106 Delta Dart In Action" by Captain Don Carson and Lou Drendel is a nice balance of pictures and interesting commentary from those who flew the aircraft

"Convair F-106 Delta Dart" by William G Holder is a bit dated in style, but still a good read